The oldest wisteria in the UK and Europe, planted in 1816, originated from a garden in Guangzhou, China—it’s believed all European wisteria today descends from it, and one of the original blooms still holds strong in Chiswick, unfurling along the banks of the River Thames. This became a central motif for Daniel Fletcher, the British creative director at Guangzhou head-quartered Mithridate, who founded the label’s new studio home in Borough, on the river.
Now three seasons in, Fletcher is reflecting on all these moments of serendipity. “I’m not philosophical, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my own journey, and how everything so far has felt quite fated,” Fletcher said at a preview in the sun-drenched new space. “We’re laying our roots here, and what comes next? At the same time, it’s also interesting to work against all of that, and push the codes a bit.”
A huge wisteria was a hulking centerpiece on the fall 2026 runway, set within the cavernous Tate Britain. (The brand’s sculpted v-shape pumps, sporty sneakerinas, and structured holdalls-cum-clutches in shades of olive and fig dappled the front row.) Characters you’d meet along the Thames—hustling market stallers, tradesmen, regatta-goers, slowly sobering guys and girls stumbling home as dawn breaks over the water—made themselves known. Representing them were a shimmering red evening dress and green glass bottle print skirt, fly-fishing charms on stipple sweaters and suits, and a chunky Aran knit worn over silt-like lacquered pants. The swirling silver ‘M’ brooches and jauntily affixed charms were like mudlarked treasures.
Previously, Fletcher was an independent designer with his own eponymous label (he still likes to wear many hats, quite literally, as the creative director of the Royal Ascot, hosting the Millinery Collective show at Claridges later in the weekend). At Mithridate, he continues to explore all his atelier can do. An exquisitely hand-embroidered beaded jacket looked like a snow-flecked sky, and a delicately corseted dress featured a handprinted wisteria print. Styling is also a growing strong point, injecting Chinese craftsmanship with British eccentricism and undoneness: classic duffels over silky mini-dresses, a fishscaley evening gown paired with angular brogues and a longline tuxedo jacket.
The Chinese concept of yuánfèn—destiny, and a form of connective karmic force—comes to mind when thinking of Fletcher and the brand. Like a flush of those promising purple blooms, there’s so much more to come from this pairing.